The invention relates generally to racks attachable to vehicles for carrying bicycles and the like, and more particularly to an improved swinging rack having a swept-back design.
Swing-out vehicle mounted rack systems have been proposed to make it more convenient to access the rear of a vehicle while a bicycle or other equipment is mounted thereon. U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,373 to Lovci describes a sports equipment rack that extends parallel to the vehicle""s bumper and swings out away from the vehicle to provide access to the vehicle""s rear cargo area. In Lovci""s parallel swing-out design, the lower support arm and swing arm extend to the end of the vehicle""s rear bumper. This extension provides clearance for accessing the vehicle""s rear cargo area when the rack is swung out to its open position. However, it is dangerous to drive with an object extending beyond the width of the bumper, in fact, some states have laws restricting the distance a mounted object can extend beyond the width of a vehicle. Further, it is easy for passersby to injure their legs on the protruding object. Also vehicles utilizing Class III hitches vary in widths from approximately 66.7xe2x80x3 to approximately 84xe2x80x3. Therefore it would be difficult to design a parallel swing-out rack that would not extend beyond the end of the bumper for this range of vehicle widths.
A general object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle mounted article carrier rack having a strong yet compact and lightweight design that will not extend beyond the width of the vehicle.
The unique swept-back design of the rack provides tremendous advantages over the parallel swing-out designs of the prior art. Unlike the parallel swing-out designs, the swept-back design assures that, when in the closed position, the rack will not extend beyond the width of the vehicle for vehicles having a wide variety of widths. The rack provides a xe2x80x9cuniversal fitxe2x80x9d for the majority of vehicles having Class III hitches. This allows a user of the rack to change vehicles and still use the same rack.
A vehicle utilizing the rack also much easier to maneuver than a vehicle utilizing a parallel swing-out rack designed to extend parallel to the vehicle""s bumper. The swept-back design keeps the rack and the articles closer to the center of the vehicle rather than sticking out far beyond the end of the bumper. Further, because of the swept-back design, the rack and the articles are closer to the bumper as they extend away from the center of the vehicle. Having the rack and articles closer to the bumper at the sides rather than protruding behind and far beyond the vehicle""s width is especially beneficial when trying to back into a parking space.
The back-bend allows for a shorter structural arms, while still allowing the rack to open far enough to permit full access to the vehicle""s rear cargo area. The shorter structural arms results in shorter lever arms and less torque on joints, resulting in an inherently stronger design. This means that a greater load can be placed on the rack. Also, the lower torques means that thinner, weaker, material can be used in manufacturing the rack resulting in cost savings and a lighter rack which much more convenient to place onto and remove from a vehicle.
The backbend can be an arched bend, providing additional strength, savings in material costs, and manufacturing simplicity compared to the multi-piece designs of the prior art.
This and other advantages are achieved by the article carrier rack of the present invention. One embodiment of the invention includes a base arm having a pivot end and a mounting end for removable mounting to a vehicle. An article carrier arm is operatively connected to the base arm. An acute angle is formed between the mounting end and the pivot end of the base arm. A swing arm has a pivot end and a carrier support end. The swing arm pivot end is pivotally connected to the base arm pivot end. The article carrier arm has an article carrier end and a base end. The article carrier base end is structurally connected to the swing arm carrier support end. The acute angle is between approximately 70 degrees and 80 degrees and is formed by an arched bend of the base arm. The swing arm opens to an angle approximately supplementary to the acute angle, or approximately 100 degrees to 110 degrees relative to the base arm. The mounting end of the base arm is adapted to be secured to a receiver hitch of a vehicle. The article carrier arm is secured to the swing arm to remain substantially vertical when said mounting end of the base arm is secured to a receiver hitch of a vehicle. The base arm is adapted to extend only within the width of a vehicle to which it is secured. In a closed position of the rack, the swing arm is secured to the base arm to prevent the swing arm from swinging relative to the base arm. An article attachment subassembly is mounted to the article carrier end of the article carrier arm. The article attachment subassembly is adapted to secure at least one bicycle to the article carrier. The article carrier base end is pivotally connected to the swing arm carrier-support end. A support base is mounted to the carrier-support end of the swing arm. The article carrier arm is pivotally connected to the swing arm through the support base for rotation thereabout. The support base has a pivot stop to limit the pivot motion of the article carrier arm to less than 90 degrees relative to the support base. The swing arm pivots about a first axis substantially orthogonal to a second axis about which the article carrier arm pivots. The article carrier arm is pivotally connected to the support base by means of a pivot pin passing through the article carrier arm and the support base and is secured against pivoting by a pin passing through the article carrier arm and the support base.
The present invention also includes the combination of the article carrier rack with a vehicle, where the acute angle formed between the mounting end and the pivot end of the base arm causes the base arm to be swept-back towards the vehicle.
The present invention further includes a method for using the article carrier rack with a vehicle by securing a bicycle to the vehicle and accessing a cargo or passenger area of the vehicle by pivoting a swing arm portion of the rack from a position oblique relative to a bumper of the vehicle to a position wherein a longitudinal access of the swing arm forms an obtuse angle relative to the bumper.
These objects as well as other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings.